Claudia, the ticket seller at Adrian's cinema, is involved with a political committee investigating a series of murders that bear a striking resemblance to those committed by members of death squads that operated in Argentina during its last civil-military dictatorship (1976–1983).Īdrian learns that Jack has been lying about his employment and becomes paranoid that Jack is spying on him. Despite Adrian's jealousy, Jack continues to socialize with several of them, becoming sexually involved with Laura, whose husband is frequently away. Adrian complains to Jack, telling him that the neighbors aren't to be trusted. Jack seems to suspect this and doesn't mind, and he takes a liking to his new landlord. The shy, repressed Adrian is both intimidated by and attracted to Jack, who exudes confidence and strength, and attempts to win Jack's trust and companionship. After several unsatisfactory applicants, he meets American Jack Carney (Bochner), who agrees to take the room. The story begins with Adrian in his theater, watching the final scene of Touch of Evil.Īs his theater loses more and more money, Adrian advertises for a roommate to share his apartment rent. Apart from his mother, the core of his emotional life is movies, specifically classic American movies and stars. ( September 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Īdrian LeDuc (Firth) is the British owner of a revival house in Buenos Aires. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification. Gradually, Adrian begins to suspect that the outwardly likeable Jack is responsible for a series of political assassinations that are rocking the city.įamously suffused with homoerotic overtones and moments of black comedy, it received mixed-to-positive reviews at the time of its release, and currently has a Rotten Tomatoes' score of 74% positive reactions from both critics and viewers. The story is set in a rundown area of Buenos Aires at the dawn of the 1980s, where Adrian LeDuc becomes friends with Jack Carney, an American expatriate who rents a room from him. It was produced in 1988 and premiered at film festivals throughout the next year. 124 minutes (theatrical release & 2007 DVD release)Īpartment Zero, also known as Conviviendo con la muerte ( Spanish: Living with Death), is a 1989 British-Argentine psychological- political thriller film co-written and directed by Argentine-born screenwriter Martin Donovan and starring Hart Bochner and Colin Firth.